Jan Hartwig: How to cook three stars?

He is considered one of the most influential and outstanding chefs of the present. After working with Christian Jürgens at the "Kastell" restaurant in Wernberg-Köblitz and with Klaus Erfort in Saarbrücken, Jan Hartwig moved to "Aqua" in Wolfsburg in 2007, where he initially became Chef de Partie and then Souschef under the direction of Sven Elverfeld.

From 2014 to 2021, the native of Lower Saxony worked as head chef at the "Atelier" restaurant in the Munich Hotel Bayerischer Hof. During this time, the restaurant received the second and soon after the third star thanks to Hartwig's unique culinary signature. In October 2022, Jan Hartwig fulfilled a long-held dream. He opened the "JAN", his first own restaurant, where he reinterprets the DNA of German cuisine with his dishes.

The crowning achievement followed quickly: Within a few months, "JAN" was awarded three Michelin stars and shortly afterwards also received the highest rating of five chef's hats by Gault&Millau.

When you took over the "Atelier" restaurant in the "Bayerischer Hof" in Munich in May 2007, it already had one star. How great was the pressure to maintain it?

The pressure was bearable, I came as a Souschef from a 3-star restaurant, it was my goal to defend the star. Of course, I didn't expect to cook three stars within three and a half years.

How do you personally deal with pressure?

It belongs to my job. However, I find it very important that this pressure is positive. I consider stress as a stimulus, as a motivator. It pushes me and drives me to perform at my best. If you perceive pressure as something oppressive, as a stone that weighs on you, then that's not good at all, and I believe it can’t lead anyone, regardless of the industry, to great success. Fear is not a good advisor.

I am now 42 years old and started my training in 2000. Times were different back then. The kitchen was much more hierarchical than it is today. And the pressure was different from what I feel today as a 3-star chef.

How big is the leap from the second to the third star?

Huge. Two stars are mega good, three stars are world class. You should actually read the official claim of the Michelin testers for this. Here, the difference or what makes three stars is described with the calm words: The restaurant is worth a trip - it is worth it to get on a plane in Beijing, London, Chicago, or even in Hamburg, or on a train to travel to Munich and eat in my restaurant.

Read also

Star chef and TV star Alexander Herrmann: This is how every dish gets umami

Alexander Herrmann on flavor tricks, his state-of-the-art food lab, and which ingredients instantly add umami to any dish

Jan Hartwig on 3-star cuisine

Strictly speaking, there are no star chefs, only starred restaurants. We are ten 3-star chefs in Germany, and each has an unmistakable signature. If you present me a dish, as a photo or also on the plate, I bet you that I can say with one hundred percent certainty which colleague cooked it. I can't determine that so precisely with two stars, unless the chef has very unique plates or a completely characteristic style of presentation.

© Pieter D’Hoop

Served at Restaurant JAN: Bretonne Sardine

How is the interaction with the other 3-star chefs - is there a certain competition?

Not at all, I consider our relationship to be more friendly. Although friendship is a big word. After all, you only have three or four true friends in life. We maintain a very respectful and collegial exchange, we play employees and naturally also guests to each other.

The word competition I don't like at all, because for me it has something to do with envy. And I deeply reject envy. Competitors are important and good. How can you run a marathon alone? Or play soccer? You need fellow players. Otherwise it wouldn't be any fun.

Jan Hartwig: That's what makes my success

What are the most important ingredients to reach and maintain your level?

Consistency, a unique style, and hard work. Every day is important. Nothing was given to me, I don't have a big hotel or partners or sponsors in the background, and yet it works well. That makes me very proud.

How do you motivate yourself?

I want to be better every day than I was yesterday. That is my drive, and that is certainly also the recipe for the speed of my success. I am a person who is restless, and who is not only interested in his own development but also enjoys it.

I always question myself, my team can sing a song about it. If I've had a dish on the menu for eight weeks, for example, pigeon breast, and everyone knows today is the penultimate day we'll send this dish because we're changing it next week, it's still happened a few times that I say we're going to plate it differently for the remaining days because I've thought of something new.

Nothing in life is worse than this old saying: We've always done it this way. I find it quite terrible when people are unable to reflect on themselves.

Read also

Three-star chef, entrepreneur, visionary: Andreas Caminada

The Swiss create experiences of enjoyment at the highest international level – and always remain grounded in their homeland.

Do you let yourself be influenced by trends?

Following trends means being a weathervane. Imitation does not create anything of one's own. But I am always interested in making something better. Standstill is regression. I was at "Aqua" for seven years, and was also significantly involved in recipe development and creative processes there.

When I left, many said: He first has to free himself from Sven Elverfeld and find his own style. At the "Atelier," I deliberately chose products that were not or rarely available during my time at "Aqua," such as rabbit or quail. I wanted to be Jan Hartwig from the start and not a copy of another star chef.

In some star kitchens, one often has the impression that the optics are in the foreground, with you ...

... taste comes first. Of course, I have a visual standard. The plate has to look very, very nice, but no compromises are made on taste. The right temperature is crucial too. I don't like it at all when dishes that are supposed to be hot are served lukewarm. I'm very pedantic about that.

© Pieter D’Hoop

Jan Hartwig: "The plate must look very, very beautiful." Here: suckling pig, truffle, and Jerusalem artichoke

The team also plays a significant role in fine dining.

Of course. The kitchen is an authoritarian place, one has to say honestly. But respect at eye level is important to me, along with a certain empathy. I also exemplify this. For how can one jump in for someone and perform at one's best when the person is just standing at the edge of the field or barking orders in the kitchen and scolding everyone in a bad mood?

Teamwork in the star kitchen

I am also usually the first to go home after sending all the dishes and saying goodbye to the guests, because it takes me another hour or two to process the day, write recipes, develop new creations, and complete orders. I do this alone in silence when my wife and daughter are asleep, and I've taken a long walk with my dog.

Your father is also a chef, you came into contact with gastronomy early on, and you once said that Eckart Witzigmann's books were just as important to you as the seven volumes of the Harry Potter series were to others.

In my youth, chefs like Eckart Witzigmann or Harald Wohlfahrt were guiding lights for me. They were pioneers and I admired them for it, read all their books and every article about them. During my training, my greatest dream was to work in a 3-star restaurant. Unfortunately, I never ate at Eckart Witzigmann's, but we have a good relationship today and a lively exchange.

Does social media actually influence your work?

In the past, if you wanted to know how a chef worked, you had two options: you ate at their restaurant or bought their cookbook. Today you can see everything on Instagram. That's a bit of a shame.

At which top restaurant have you reserved next?

At “Plénitude” in Paris, the 3-star restaurant of my colleague Arnaud Donckele, which is located in the Hotel “Cheval Blanc.” It must be spectacular. I don't know anyone who hasn't left the place completely enthusiastic. I have a reservation there next year, and I'm already very much looking forward to it.

© Pieter D’Hoop

"Even during my training, it was my greatest dream to work in a 3-star restaurant," explains Jan Hartwig.